It's April, which means March Madness is almost over.
For draft-eligible players in women's college basketball, it's a quick turnaround for the WNBA Draft. The National Championship is set for Sunday, April 7, and the draft comes a week later on April 15.
Collegiate players are able to earn money through NIL rules, but they don't get a salary from their respective schools. That's something the WNBA provides.
Like any other professional league, rookies aren't the highest-paid players. There's a salary limit for how much teams can offer them. Here's a breakdown of what the average WNBA salary is compared to the highest-paid players and rookies.
Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces has the highest average salary in the WNBA for the 2024 season, according to Spotrac.
She is making $252,450 for the 2024 season as a part of a two-year, $504,900 contract.
Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm and Kahleah Copper of the Phoenix Mercury are the second- and third-highest earners in 2024, respectively.
The WNBA continues to increase player's salaries year after year due to inflation and growing popularity.
The average salary in 2022 was $102,751, and it increased to $147,745 ahead of the 2023 WNBA Draft. If the trend continues, the average salary will likely increase again for the 2024 season.
There are currently 21 players making at least $200,000 per season.
Each rookie contract differs based on where the player is drafted. All 36 draft picks can sign a four-year contract with a team option in the final year.
The difference lies in the numbers. The top four picks in the first round earn the same amount of money, regardless of order. Those deals will be a four-year, $338,056 contract, according to Spotrac.
The next four picks get a slightly lesser deal as do the last four picks in the first round. Here's how the contracts look.
| Round | Picks | Years | Total value |
| 1 | 1-4 | 4 | $338,056 |
| 1 | 5-8 | 4 | $324,383 |
| 1 | 9-12 | 4 | $310,718 |
| 2 | 13-24 | 4 | $297,045 |
| 3 | 25-36 | 4 | $276,830 |
